I'm ashamed that I toured the prison in San Pedro

It was awful. I had looked forward to it for weeks, but the people live in such squalid conditions. I couldn't believe they even allowed children to live there. Everything about it made me depressed. I left feeling absolutely awful that I had ever considered this as a tourist "attraction". There are entire families in there! How can that even be legal?

Comments for I'm ashamed that I toured the prison in San Pedro

Don't put a Western basis on anything here in Bolivia. They do things here entirely different, and it works for them. The opposite of entire families, including kids, being in prison would be the ripping apart of those same families.

Here, you can go to an orphanage and drop your kids off if you cannot take care of them. You can go visit them, and you never risk losing them to the government. Try that in the 'free' country of America, ha! Here, a mishap in life does not mean you lose your family, too.

The government happens to listen to the people. Many say the government is corrupt, and it is, but at least it is not a secret, and people can live their lives how they want. In America, corruption's a secret, and the corruption is much much deeper. Land of the free, my butt.

Quit being depressed about seeing intact families, and if something bothers you about it, go back, make friends with someone there and help them out. Be prepared to give the guards a bribe. There's that corruption at work, ha!

But take them a phone card, or some fruit for their kids, or some pain meds, or sanitary pads for the women, or a bottle of Coca-Cola, or some books for the kids, writing paper and pens, pencils, crayons, small toys. Clothes for the kids, too. But don't take things that other inmates might want and steal, and don't go overboard. A few things, small things, not a duffel bag full of stuff walking in there looking like some gringo Santa Clause.